Jay Gillian posts announcement on Facebook, saying the iconic amusement park is not financially viable
OCEAN CITY — Gillian’s Wonderland Pier announced it will close this fall after nearly 60 years of the boardwalk amusement park bringing joy to countless families of locals and visitors alike.
Jay Gillian posted the announcement on Facebook Friday afternoon, Aug. 9. He had sold the property in early 2021 to luxury developer Eustace Mita, who invested to stave off foreclosure after banks called in nearly $8 million in loans as the COVID-19 pandemic had placed additional financial pressure on the beloved business.
Wonderland is one of the iconic places in America’s Greatest Family Resort, its gigantic Ferris wheel visible for miles beyond the island, especially when lit, and its historic carousel providing rides to generations of children brought by their parents and grandparents before them.
“To Our Loyal Guests and Friends,” Gillian wrote, “After 47 incredible years working on the Ocean City Boardwalk, I have little choice but to retire and close Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and 6th Street Pizza and Grill, embarking on a new chapter in my life.
“The memories I’ve made with my family and the joy of meeting so may wonderful team members and guests will always hold a special place in my heart.
“The 94 years of tradition at Gillian’s amusements on the Boardwalk have been cherished by so many people, none more than me. It’s been my life, my legacy and my family. It’s sad to let go.”
What will happen to the amusement park at Sixth and Boardwalk is not clear.
“The property itself is no longer mine, so I can’t speak to its future,” Gillian wrote. “But I’ll always have a lifetime of priceless memories, and I hope you will too. Thank you for all the amazing years and for being such an important part of my journey.”
“I tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible — through increasingly difficult challenges each year. But it’s no longer a viable business. We will terminate our multi-year lease in a couple months. Wonderland and 6th Street Pizza will remain open through Indian Summer Weekend to give everybody plenty of time to use up their tickets.”
Wes Kazmarck, owner of Surf Mall and president of the Boardwalk Merchants Association, said it will be sad to see the park close.
“Ocean City is a very traditional town, a lot of history, long-standing businesses,” he said. “Any time you see one of them decide to hang it up, personally is a sad thing.”
He said he knows Gillian “gave it everything that he had to make it work.”
“I’m sure this was a tough call but that he did the best thing for himself and his family.”
Gillian, who was re-elected to his fourth term as mayor of Ocean City in 2022, wrote about how he spent his teenage years and adult life working at Wonderland. He purchased the business from his father, former Ocean City mayor Roy Gillian. The Gillian family has had amusements on the boardwalk since Roy’s father, David Gillian, opened the Fun Deck in 1929.
“I started at just age 13, bringing Walt Tucker tools to fix the rides. Being the ring boy and working with my brother John was one of my best memories,” Gillian wrote in the Facebook post. “I learned how to fix and operate the rides, and I was taught the business by my father and brothers. In a family business, you learn to become a jack-of-all-trades. I worked many long hours alongside my family, and I’ve been blessed to have that opportunity.
“I have worked with so many talented people, too many to name, and in the end, I was able to work with our kids and see our 13 grandkids take their first rides. So many great family memories.”
David Gillian founded the Fun Deck on the boardwalk at Plymouth Place in 1929 with a carousel and Ferris wheel. In 1990 he donated a horse from the carousel to the Ocean City Historical Museum, where it remains on display. Roy Gillian, who ran the Fun Deck with his brother, started Wonderland Pier at Sixth Street in 1965 with 10 rides.
Jay Gillian’s relationship with Mita, of Icona Resorts and Achristavest Fine Home Builders, was controversial as political opponents of the mayor claimed Mita was investing because he wanted to build a high-rise hotel on the amusement park site. City Council members took action to try to close loopholes they asserted could have allowed a hotel project there.
The relationship became a major issue in the 2022 mayoral election, raised by candidate and City Councilman Keith Hartzell, but Gillian handily won re-election. He steadfastly said he had no plans to build a hotel.
After the election, Mita appeared before City Council to pitch a proposal to build a massive luxury resort essentially next door on open city-owned property between Carey Stadium and the beach, but it was quickly panned. Even Gillian said as mayor he could not support the proposal.
Brad Diamond, owner of Roma Pizza on the 600 block of the boardwalk, said he believes the park closing would reduce traffic in the north end business district, where Wonderland is an anchor.
“I would love to have something to attract more customers. The unknown is scary but maybe it will be a positive thing, maybe draw more people,” he said.
“What’s going to go there to replace it is the next question,” Diamond added. “I would love to have the nicest park in the country — get Morey’s to buy it — but I’m sure that whatever is going to happen is already planned out, he and his partner have already talked about it.”
Jody Levchuk, who owns JiLLy’s arcade and associated businesses at the other end of the boardwalk and serves on City Council, said he thinks the park closing could have a negative impact on business.
“It depends on what winds up happening with the property. I certainly don’t think it’s good for Ocean City,” he said.
Levchuck said the park long has been a draw for families.
“It’s great that we have two family amusement parks at each end,” he said. “It’s the top reason why people come, other than the beach, is great amusements. There’s not many more things more iconic than Gillian’s and Playland and the rides they offer.”
He said a lot depends on what happens next.
“It definitely will have a negative impact on the boardwalk for the short term but there’s a successful person who owns the property and I’m curious to see what he has in store,” Levchuk said.
Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland’s Castaway Cove on the 1000 block, called the park’s demise “unfortunate.”
“Ocean City really needs as much entertainment as possible to keep visitors coming here,” he said. “Losing an establishment that has been around and has a legacy and memories for so many is a loss for Ocean City.
Like Levchuk, he said a lot will depend on what happens with the property.
“Does someone come in and try to open an amusement park, is it stores? Ultimately, anything other than an amusement park that drew a lot of business would have and impact on businesses there. The worst thing would be for it sitting vacant for extended time.”
Larry Friedel, who opened his first 7th Street Surf Shop location on the 600 block of the boardwalk in 1986, said he was not surprised by the announcement.
“Those of us who have been up here a long time have seen their trajectory over the years,” he said. “It is sad when we see a major institution go. My end of the boardwalk will be slower, at least in the short and intermediate term, but there is not much I can do other than observe.”
Friedel said it would be interesting to see what happens with the property.
“Everybody is scrambling for the highest and best use of the land and I don’t doubt that it will cause a lot of consternation and political maneuvering,” he said.
The real question, he said, is how Wonderland stayed open so long.
“Ocean City is built on tradition, true, but with all of the changes in real estate, people moving to the coast, it’s not that ‘Oh, my God, Wonderland is leaving’ but how could it have lasted this long in this changing world and environment?” he said.
Mentioning longtime businesses closing such as Ward’s Pastry and Voltaco’s, he said “people believe things that we have all come to expect will never change but they do and Ocean City still endures.”
– STORY By DAVID NAHAN and CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff